Friday, January 29, 2016

1. A few months ago, I considered
the idea that, if the standing desk fad died down, sit-stand desks
might become cheap as demand went off a cliff. That hasn't happened,
but with demand remaining strong, IKEA has sensed an
opportunity and started making sit-stand desks for
$200-300. From a short-term
review of the SKARSTA:

Overall, the SKARSTA meets
expectations. I would recommend it if you want an
adjustable-height desk and only want to spend $230. I
would not recommend it if you're very tall and want to use
this desk near its maximum 47-inch height, or if you need an
absolutely rock-solid desk that doesn't sway at all. If your desired
surface height is around 41 inches (or lower), you'll probably be
happy.

Eventually I'll post a long-term review, but if you
are reading this, I've had no issues using this desk daily since
January 2016.

With some rearranging, I could make this fit
into our home office, but I remain very backlogged from our move and
am in no hurry. At the rate things are going, I may well even have the
benefit of the long-term review before I get around to it.

2. At the start of two days' worth of digging
out of the snow -- with
frequent breaks, of course! -- I noticed a trail of bird
footprints on our snow-dusted doorstep.

Here's a
photo.

"But Gus, you're a fan of technology," I can almost
hear you ask. "Why didn't you get a snow blower?" I wanted one, and
already knew what I wanted after asking a knowledgeable friend for
advice, but in the days before the storm hit, I had to take care of
our son, who had come down with a stomach bug. By the time he was
well, it was the day before the storm and blowers were nowhere to be
found.

3. If you were wondering why Rick Santorum
is still in the race for the GOP nomination,
the Onionhas
you covered:

Expressing frustration that he had yet to
receive any divine counsel on the matter, former Senator Rick Santorum
told reporters Friday that he was still waiting for the go-ahead from
God to suspend his presidential campaign.

Vox populi,
vox dei, Richarde.

4. The home office I mentioned earlier lacks
a door on one entrance, a situation I remedied with a baby
gate. One day, I forgot to close it only for my son, whose sense of
order is apparently stronger than his curiosity, to find it open
and alert me to the problem. He tugged me over to the room and pointed
to the gate, obviously wanting me to close it. Anything you want,
Little Man!